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BTTF# 23: Redken Laboratories in Canoga Park later turned to Ray-Art Studios and a Tribute to founder Paula Kent Meehan

Monday, June 30, 2014 / 1 Comment
Paula Kent Meehan possibly in her early 20's. Image courtesy Redken Facebook
Paula Kent Meehan with Redken products possibly in the 80's. Image courtesy Redken Facebook.
Welcome aboard the Delorean! 

Marty McFly here to take you on a special journey to explore the life of Paula Kent Meehan who founded Redken Company last located at 6625 Variel Avenue Canoga Park CA 91303.  The Delorean has the required plutonium plus some random garbage in the Mr. Fusion reactor ready for this trip. The time circuits are set to sometime in 1975 (actual date unknown) and the flux capacitor is......fluxxing. The engine is running (not stalled this time) so we need to hurry. Hang on, as the ride can be a little bumpy as we travel back in time.

On Monday July 23rd, 2014, the SFV lost one of its great innovators in the hair care industry, Paula Kent Meehan, who passed away at the age of 82 in Beverly Hills, after a lengthy battle with lung infections. Meehan co-founded the Redken company along with Jheri Redding (who is known as the "Godfather of Hair" as well as the "Jheri curl", yes, the "Jheri curl") who passed away on March 15, 1998 at the age of 91. 

The Redken name was based on merging the last names of Kent (she adopted the stage name of Paul Kent before she married John Meehan) and Redding to form "Red-Ken." Redken was started in 1960 in Van Nuys (and later moved to Canoga Park) which would become the largest maker of hair and skin-care products sold exclusively through beauty shops, expanding distribution to 35 countries. 

The story of Meehan is remarkable and inspiring and proves that there are no boundaries to success. Meehan grew up in Burbank where her father was an assistant sound manager for Fox Studios before later becoming an accountant. In the 1950s, Paula Jane Baer (before name change and marriage) mostly acted in commercials and small parts including "Mary Lake" in a 1955 episode of the series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok titled Buckshot Comes Home. She also played a waitress in an episode of State Trooper titled The Choker as well as a minor role as Dino's Restaurant hat check girl on 77 Sunset Strip at Warner Bros. She was also a good friend of local Valley girl/legend Debbie Reynolds.

Her first aspiration was to become an actress which didnt work out as planned and indirectly led to the creation of Redken. While on the sets, Meehan's hair was constantly treated with shampoos that would dry out and break and sometimes trigger allergic reaction in her scalp. So she turned to her haridresser, Redding, who was an amateur chemist at the time and developed shampoos that were pH-balanced that would match the mild acidity of human skin and put protein, vitamins, and minerals in hair-care products. This process of creating so-called scientific shampoos revolutionized the industry and consequently led to much copying.

So in 1960, Meehan used $3,000 (the equivalent of $25,000 today) from the proceeds of working on a Hamm's Beer commercial and began marketing her products using her acting talents to win over salon owners. In her first year, Redken earned $90,000 (the equivalent of $723,000 today) followed by $350,000 (the equivalent of $2.8 million today) in the second year. By 1966, sales had reached $1.5 million (the equivalent of $11 million today).
Redken located at 5946 Kester Ave Van Nuys CA 91411 in 1960 prior to moving to Canoga Park, not sure if there were other Van Nuys locations. Image courtesy Redken Facebook 
By the mid-60's Meehan bought out Redding and the company continued to flourish under Meehan's leadership. Her third partner, John Meehan, an advertising man, initially came knocking on Redken's door to solicit ads for the trade publications. Paula was so impressed with John that she ended up marrying him in 1971 and also made him President

With the company flourishing in 1971, Redken went public and sold 48% ownership. By 1976, revenues reached $42 million (the equivalent of $175 million today). Flush with so much cash, Redken moved from its tiny cramped 20,000 sqft facility in Van Nuys along with 10 other separate buildings and setup a new 240,000 sqft facility complete with corporate offices, manufacturing, and research lab in Canoga Park, CA in a former Rockwell North American Aviation Rocketdyne facility that was originally built in the 1960s.

Redken hosts its first US Sales meeting at the Canoga Park factory in 1975 located at 6625 Variel Avenue Canoga Park 91303. Image courtesy Redken Facebook.

I believe 1970's or 80's era images of the R&D labs. Above images courtesy Davida Rochlin Architecture
In the early 80's, the Meehans stepped down from an active management role and hired Simon Mester who was the former head of the Helen Curtis and Max Factor Japanese units to run the company. By 1986, business declined and Mester was forced out with the Meehans resuming active management. In September 1988, the Meehans took the company private and purchased back the company stock at $35.44 per share financed by a $58 million loan backed by the Meehans.

Image courtesy ebay Auction
In 1993, sales reached $165 million (the equivalent of $271 million today) with the $58 million loan paid off within 5 years that was used to re-acquire the company. However, the Meehans had called it quits and sold Redken to Cosmair, Inc., L'Oreal's U.S. licensee for an undisclosed price but I would imagine possibly somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 - $600 million (if sold for $500 million, the equivalent is $823 million today).
On Redken's 25th anniversary, each employee was given a a paperweight embedded with a custom made Redken silver dollar coin. Silver at the time was worth $5 to $6 so to have it custom made must have cost another $20 - $30 which was generous gift to give and a testament to Meehan's care for her employees. 

On September 21, 1993, Cosmair moved the manufacturing and distribution facilities to Florence, Kentucky  for the reason that the Canoga Park facility was aging but the headquarters, sales, and R&D departments remained. On January 17, 1994, the Northridge earthquake hit causing significant damage to the factory that Redken was forced to raze down 60,000 sqft of warehouse space. On May 17, 1994, Redken announced that the remainder of manufacutring operations were moving to Kentucky with the headquarters based in NYC. As part of the move, Redken was asking $12 million for its two Canoga Park properties.

After selling Redken, Meehan was devoted to philanthropy. She donated millions of dollars to great causes like Pets 90210 (which she created), Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden, Childhelp for preventing child abuse, and rescued an Art Deco-style Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills. She served on many boards and was known to fly around in her private jet scouting new opportunities as the head of her Kenquest, Inc. and Timequest, Inc. investment companies that was headquartered at 499 N Canon Drive.

Meehan's investment company headquarters, Kenquest, at 499 Canon Drive Beverly Hills CA. Image courtesy Kenquest
Meehan was a long time resident of Beverly Hills living in a former Elvis Presley 24 room mansion since I believe the early 1970's. She was a big fan of Beverly Hills that she recently purchased the local newspaper, The Beverly Hills Courier, in April 2014. Check out the many famous people who recognized her at the Beverly Hills Courier at the very bottom of this post which was published on June 27, 2014 on page 2.

The former Elvis Presley home that was previously owned by actor, director, and producer, Robert Montgomery known as the Montgomery estate in Holmby Hills near the Los Angeles Country Club Image courtesy Classicmontgomery Blog
Property records list the home at 7 Beds/7 Baths on 9,756 sqft on a total of 1.63 acres built in 1937. Meehan also acquired the corner lot at the bottom left of the picture which measures 4 Beds/5 Baths on 4,069 sqft on a total lot size of 0.75 acres. This property was acquired on Jan 27, 1999 for $3.112 million and later built new in 2002.  Image courtesy Bing Maps.
Meehan acquired this Malibu home on January 13, 2010 for $1.510 million which measures 3 Beds/2 Baths on 2,593 sqft on a total lot size of 1.11 acres built in 1976. Image courtesy Bing Maps.
During Redken's height, Paula Kent Meehan received numerous awards including Business Week's "100 Top Corporate Women in 1977, named one of the "Eight Most Powerful Woman Business Owners" by Entrepreneurial Woman magazine, and selected as one of the "Top Fifty Women Business Owners" by Working Woman magazine. She was also featured in a December 6, 1976 People Magazine article.

On a personal note, my mom worked for Redken at the management level in the early 90's. It was a big deal for my mom to be employed by Redken because it was the biggest and best in the industry after moving around to other local cosmetic companies. Unfortunately, my mom passed away from her lengthy battle with breast cancer in October 1992 after only working a couple of years at Redken (with the last year of her life being out sick).

The timing of her death seems almost fate like with Redken eventually closing down in 1994. Had she continued working, I dont know if she would have made the trek to Kentucky or even still have a job which makes me wonder what would have become of my life. But I dont actually have a Delorean (although I wish I did) to change the course of events and realize that some things happen for a reason whether they seem good or not. And as much as I would love to have my mom around today, I believe her passing has led to my personal course of events to have a wonderful family and fortunate life of my own which allows me to blog about my biggest passion, the SFV. When my mom was working at Redken, I was too young to care about anything which I wish I now I could ask her about her experiences working with Redken and Meehan but I know it was great based on others I have spoken with which is all that matters. Just do a google search on Redken and you wont find anything negative.

So this is where the story diverges from Redken to continue the discussion on the history of this location except for the ending paragraph about Meehan. The now empty Redken facility was acquired by Robert E. Selan, a residential developer, for an unknown amount in the Spring of 1996. Selan was originally going to build a family sports center but instead built an indoor baseball training facility. Afterwards, executive producers, Steve Hirsch andand Bob Papazian, during a scouting trip in September 1996 discovered the former Redken facility which was now filled with batting and pitching cages and had visions of multiple sound stages that was a perfect match to the existing 90,000 sqft of office space and plenty of land available to expand.

So they acquired the facility and built a state-of-the-art Hollywood style studio called Ray-Art Studios. Ray-Art Studios biggest customer was Aaron Spelling Productions which used the studios exclusively for the TV series,  Charmed, starring Alyssa Milano who must have enjoyed the close convenience to her Bell Canyon home. Charmed used four of the stages for five years and even filmed in the nearby streets as shown at the filming locations website, Filming Location of Chicago and Los Angeles and here, here, here, and here. Spelling Productions also used the Studios for the remake of The Love Boat which occupied four stages including a replica of The Love Boat ship.

In 2003, Hirsch and Papazian sold Ray-Art Studios to developers. In 2004, The Ghastly Love of Johnny X was the last film to shoot in Ray-Art's backlot before it closed down for good. From 2004 - 2006, the studio buildings were completely demolished to build 522 housing units known as the AMLI Warner Center Apartments at 21200 Kittridge Street eliminating the former address of Redken at 6625 Variel Avenue. At the time of writing this post, Yelp reviews for AMLI Warner Center show 2.5 stars with 1 Bed/1 Bath asking starting at $1,874 and a 2 Bed/2 Bath at $2,100, however, this building is conveniently located to the popular Orange Line and Warner Center which is currently exploding with development. As they say in R.E., location, location, location.







Above images courtesy thestudiotour.com via the now defunct rayartstudios.com site.

Filming The Ghastly Love of Johnny X at Ray-Art Studios. Above images courtesy Charmed.wikia.com
Now using the Delorean time machine to visit the years 1952, 1980, 2003, and 2005 (shown below), we can see the Redken factory evolution that took place over time to the present state.

In 1952, nothing but open land with ranches nearby. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com
In 1980, Canoga Park is mostly developed and Redken has become the largest supplier of beauty products. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com
By 2003, Redken is transformed into the Ray-Art studios which is used exclusively for the TV series Charmed. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com
In 2005, the former Redken factory turned movie studios is demolished for the construction of an apartment complex. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com
The former Redken and Ray-Art Studios which is now the AMLI Warner Center. Image courtesy Bing Maps.
Meehan was truly a great person who made a difference in other people's lives. On the production floor, she would take the time to greet everyone and thank them for their hard work. She would hold lavish Christmas parties and would take care of her employees. Redken employed somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 - 600 employees providing decent pay and benefits in the SFV, something which seems to be slowing fading away in today's corporate America. Today, those jobs no longer exist but moved to Kentucky with the Redken headquarters replaced by a large apartment complex that probably employs no more than 10 - 20 people.
Meehan in 2004. Image courtesy NY Times
I leave with an awesome and inspiring quote:
After painfully coming to the conclusion Hollywood wasn’t going to make me the next Joan Crawford,” she once said, “I wanted to control my own destiny.
And now its time to fire up the Delorean and go back to the future to the present setting where the former Redken factory existed and has been completely replaced by an apartment complex.  





And one bonus, how many remember the Valley Indoor Swap Meet across the street. I have not been able to find any pictures except for an image still from the Charmed Series that was filmed at Ray-Art Studios.

This photo is from Charmed: Season 6 - Episode 8; Little Monsters courtesy Filming Locations of Chicago and Los Angeles 
Former Valley Indoor Swap Meet in the center demolished but its two connected buildings layout visible. Image courtesy Bing Maps.
Valley Indoor Swap Meet replaced by Reveal Apartment buildings. Image courtesy Bing Maps.

You can view more SFV history and BTTF series here.

Sources.

Wikipedia -- Paula Kent Meehan

Wikipedia -- Redken

Paula Kent Meehan, Co-Founder of a Hair-Care Giant, Dies at 82 by Douglas Martin on June 25, 2014, New York Times

Redken Laboratories, Inc by Ed Dinger in January 2007, Encyclopedia.com

Who's in Charge Here? John Meehan Says Paula Runs Redken Labs: Paula Says He's No. 1 by Rich Rein on December 6, 1976, People Magazine

Courier Chairman, Philanthropist Paula Kent Meehan Dead at 82 by Matt Lopez & John L. Seitz on June 27, 2014, Beverly Hills Courier

Paula Kent Meehan, Redken co-founder and philanthropist, dies at 82 by Martha Groves on June 24, 2014, LA Times

James Hirsch - The Foundation, Operation, and Sale of Ray-Art Studios by Media Industries Project on September 9, 2010, Carsey-Wolf Center

Ray-Art Studios (1997 - 2003), thestudiotour.com

Redken Sells Land to Builder for $1.25 Million by LA Times on March 8, 1988

Redken's Cosmetics Plant to Relocate to Kentucky by LA Times on September 21, 1993

Redken Announces Move to Kentucky by LA Times on May 17, 1994

Developer to Turn Factory Into Studio by Jill Leovy on December 11, 1996, LA Times

Council Panel OKs Studios' Quake Loan by Sylvia L. Oliande on January 6, 1998, LA Times

AMLI Warner Center

Yelp -- AMLI Warner Center

Kenquest.com -- Meehan's management company

Additional reading but not used in this article from Encyclopedia.com:

Evans, Matthew W., "Redken Serious About Guys," WWD, April 30, 2004, p. 9.
Gordon, Mitchell, "Redken's Better Grooming," Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly, November 26, 1979, p. 47.
Johnston, David Cay, "Jheri Redding Is Dead at 91," New York Times, March 21, 1998, p. A13.
Paris, Ellen, "Snip, Snip; Sell, Sell," Forbes, September 24, 1984, p. 178.
"Redken Laboratories Seems Likely to Score 12th Straight Advance," Barron's National Business and Financial Weekly, February 21, 1977, p. 38.
"Redken's Morrison on Preparing for the Future," SalonNews, March 2000, p. 1S4.
Rundle, Rhonda L., "Redken Agrees to Be Bought by Founder for $34 a Share, or About $48.5 Million," Wall Street Journal, May 27, 1998, p. 1.
Seitz, John L., "Profile of Paula Kent Meehan," Beverly Hills Courier, December 24, 2004.

Celeb R.E.: The Former Ron Howard Encino Home Designed by Robert Byrd Hits the Market

Thursday, June 26, 2014 / No Comments

Images courtesy Wish Sotheby's International Realty
The former Encino home of director/producer/actor, Ron Howard, is currently listed on the market for $2,999,999 on June 25, 2014. Howard has directed such greats as Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind (resulting in a Best Director Award in 2002), How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and Cocoon to name a few. He was also an accomplished actor that I think many have forgotten with his most notable role playing 'Richie Cunningham' in Happy Days in the mid-70's. 

Howard has been in the industry since 1956 and there is no stopping the 60 year old legend as he is currently producing and directing more movies set to release in 2015. Howard is also the co-chairman of Imagine Entertainment with Brian Glazer that has brought hits like Friday Night Lights, 8 Mile, and Arrested Development

The home measures 5 Beds/6.5 baths on 5,900 sqft on a total lot size of 0.51 acres built in 1951 located three homes north of the entrance to the Encino reservoir at 4535 Encino Avenue. According to the listing description, the home was designed by renowned architect Robert Byrd who also designed the Benedict Canyon home where Sharon Tate was murdered of the Charles Manson gang, the Robert Taylor Ranch in Mandeville Canyon, the former Ryan Stiles home in Encino, the home of the late Joseph Barbera in Studio City, and The Rock'N'Roll house of Frank Zappa in Laurel Canyon known as The Tree House. The listing description states:
Situated on one of the best streets in ENCINO! A Robert Byrd Designed Estate and the former residence to mega producer/director Ron Howard. Enter through the gates and experience something that you could define as spiritual as you are overcome by the beauty that the lush landscape, rolling lawns, & old world character and charm provide to you at the first glance. Extensive use of Wood & Brick throughout, beamed ceilings, stone flooring, leaded glass windows, multiple fireplaces, and many grand and cozy rooms perfect for entertaining. Dining room, pub with rich wood ceilings and walls, 5 bedroom en suites with the master bedroom down w/ 2 closets, full bath and soaking tub. The guest house is full of detail and design, it offers one bedroom, living room, and kitchen. The grounds are spectacular and serene, they are filled with custom lighting, pool & spa, multiple water features, 3 car garage, and enormous space for outdoor dining, activities and large events. This is a special opportunity to buy a house in one of the most sought after locations in Encino, homes rarely are available in this neighborhood.
I dont know the exact dates when this home was owned by Howard as the property records dont go back far enough but according to the trusty Movielanddirectory.com site, Howard was here in the 80s - 90s and may have left after the success of Apollo 13 in 1995. 

The Movieland Directory also lists two other homes linked to Howard in Burbank with an 80's home located at 4286 Clybourn Avenue (practically in Toluca Lake) which happens to be the current home of his parents and a 1964 childhood home located at 346 Corona Ave. 

Howard was recently in the celeb. R.E. news for the listing of his main home in Connecticut for $27.5 million. Howard also owns homes in Santa Monica, New York City, and Paris according to the Realestalker

Hopefully Howard comes back to the SFV one day.

You can view more SFV Celeb R.E. here

Celeb R.E.: Neil Patrick Harris Moving Out of the SFV?

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Images courtesy Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices
Fresh on the MLS is the Sherman Oaks home of Neil Patrick Harris best known for starring in Doogie Howser, M.D. in the early 90's and currently playing "Barney Stinson" on How I Met Your Mother

The home measures 6 Beds/4.5 Baths on 4,191 sqft on a total lot size of 0.29 acres built in 1991. The listing description states:
Renovated traditional East Coast gated celebrity compound in highly-coveted Sherman Oaks hills. Featured on Oprah?s Next Chapter & in InStyle Magazine. Formal entry, home ofc w/ built-ins. Grand step-down lvg rm w/ fireplace & built-in window seating. Spacious formal dining rm accommodates 10+ seating, w/ glass doors to addl outdoor seating & lush grounds. Oversized epicurean kitchen w/ dbl Wolf ovens & 6-burner gas range, Sub-Zero fridge & 2 Sub-Zero wine captains. Prep sink & farm sink, massive island. Kitchen opens to family rm/home theater. French doors open to secluded park-like back yard. First level also includes en suite bedrm, laundry rm, & guest powder rm. Upper level boasts 2 master suites & 3 addl bedrms. Hallway bath w/ frameless shower/soaking tub, skylight, & dual vanities. Master suite w/ generous closet & balcony overlooking tranquil grounds. Resort-style master bath offers expansive frameless glass shower, sumptuous soaking tub, & sep water closet. Features incld gated entry, glistening hardwoods & beautiful moldings, 18-zone whole-house Sonance audio w/ Sonos streaming, Internet surveillance, dual-zone HVAC, enterprise-level Wi-Fi, pool/spa, built-in Renato outdoor pizza oven & gas grill, outdoor shower & additional powder rm adj. to pool.
The home was last purchased on July 28, 2010 for $2.1 million and is currently listed for $2,995,000 on June 25, 2014 which would net a gain of $895,000 for Harris before taxes, commissions, and any renovation expenses. 

Prior to living in the Sherman Oaks home, Harris was living in a 3 Bed Studio City ranch home that was purchased in May 2007 for $1.5 million and sold on April 28, 2011 for $1.535 million probably resulting in a small loss. The Studio City home was previously discussed on this blog here

It appears that Harris and his man-friend fiance as well as their 2 year old twin boys have left CA altogether as the listing pictures show empty rooms and the New York Post published a September 5, 2013 article discussing Harris' Fifth Ave. townhouse purchase for $3.6 million. 

You can view more SFV Celeb R.E. here

BTTF# 22: Searching for Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's Desilu Ranch in Chatsworth

Tuesday, June 24, 2014 / 34 Comments
[Update August 22, 2015]: I received building and demo permits from a loyal reader confirming the location of the Desilu Ranch that is described in this post. Additionally, the permits show noted architect, Paul R. Williams, as the architect. You can read more here including the permits. 

[Original Post]:
Image courtesy heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy.tumbler.com
A great image of Lucy walking her many dogs down the driveway to her home with the entrance off of Devonshire seen in the background. Image provided by Jack Kugell. 
Welcome aboard the Delorean! 

Marty McFly here to take you on a journey to the former Desilu Ranch owned by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz at 19700 Devonshire St Chatsworth 91311 The Delorean has the required plutonium plus some random garbage in the Mr. Fusion reactor ready for this trip. The time circuits are set to sometime in 1941 (actual date unknown) and the flux capacitor is......fluxxing. The engine is running (not stalled this time) so we need to hurry. Hang on, as the ride can be a little bumpy as we travel back in time.

Service receipts auctioned off eBay showing Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz address, amazing that these still exist.
I first learned about the Desilu Ranch from the "SFV bible", Kevin Roderick's The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb book which stated on page 92: 
Lucille Ball was 28 and Desi Arnaz, her bandleader husband, just 23 when they paid $16,900 for a ranch house and five acres behind a white plank fence at 19700 Devonshire Street, in orange groves between Northridge and Chatsworth. They dubbed it Desilu Ranch, bought a station wagon and adopted a pack of dogs and six cats. Desi planted fruit trees and built an extra suite for parties that also served as his home in exile when the couple fought, which they did often. One morning, Lucy got up at dawn and in a rage used a hammer to smash every window in the station wagon. They also made up with style. On her thirtieth birthday, Desi sent Lucy to town to do some shopping. When she returned in late afternoon, she traversed the long driveway off Devonshire to find a Latin combo leading 40 friends in "Happy Birthday." Floating white gardenias covered the pool.
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz married for the second time at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Canoga Park on June 19, 1949 which also happens to be where I attended elementary school and church. Image courtesy Library of Congress.
I think its safe to say that we all grew up watching I Love Lucy starring America's favorite couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The show is still hugely popular today and still can be seen on various TV networks despite being filmed in the 1950's. However, prior to I Love Lucy, Ball was mostly known as "Queen of the B's" for starring in a number of B-movies and never gaining any real stardom in Hollywood. It was during this time, that Ball and Arnaz who married in 1940 would purchase a modest ranch a year later on Devonshire St in Chatsworth.
Intersection of Devonshire and Corbin. Image courtesy Google Maps
So being the location fanatic that I am, I type in 19700 Devonshire in Google Street View (shown above) to locate the Desilu ranch today which takes me directly to the intersection of Devonshire and Corbin with no homes visible and walls surrounding every corner. I switch to the aerial view only (shown below) to find 1970's tract homes with nothing reminiscent of a 1940's era ranch. And so begins my obsessive like quest to find either the Desilu Ranch or its former location.

Present aerial view of 19700 Devonshire. Image courtesy Bing.com
I wont waste any time here and state that my findings concluded with 19700 Devonshire Street being the location of the Desilu Ranch but slightly west of Corbin. I will explain in detail below why I believe this is the location and also rule out some of the other rumors and folk tale that have been surfacing ever since. My findings as explained below are based on the little known facts and clues available from the internet so its possible that I am wrong or miss something. Feel free to correct any errors or incorrect assumptions you find by dropping a comment.

The Desilu Ranch with pool and guest house behind it which is a critical clue for discovering its location when comparing to historical maps. Image courtesy Pinterest

I first started looking for the Desilu Ranch in 2009 partly because my girlfriend loves Lucille Ball but also because Ball and Arnaz are one of the most popular celebrities with a massive worldwide reach even till this day some 60 years later after the biggest hit, I Love Lucy, first aired. I initially searched in 2009 before I was even thinking about blogging but that search didnt yield much luck so I gave up for a couple of years. However,  I recently got an awakening after some Facebook discussions regarding this topic and started to put my research hat on again and try to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. 

The biggest fact that I could find regarding the Desilu Ranch location was from the Lucyfan.com website written by Thomas Watson published on December 30, 2003. In that article shown below, Watson and songwriter/producer, Jack Kugell, researched the LA County Assessor's office and discovered that a demolition permit was issued in 1976 which coincides with the rest of the ranch being subdivided into tract housing.
Thomas Watson and Jack Kugell provided some great investigative work tracking the house down back in 2003. Image courtesy lucyfan.com.
Using my favorite website, historicalaerials.com confirms that going back to the oldest year available, 1952 (shown below), shows that there were two adjoining properties at the corner of Corbin and Devonshire and there wasnt much else around it except rows upon rows of orange groves. You will also notice in the picture that the house is located several yards south of Devonshire which matches Roderick's description of "a long driveway off Devonshire" in order to reach the main home.

Historical image showing 1952 with two properties near each other. The property on the right is the Desilu Ranch which was later demolished. The property on the left still remains today despite subdivision all around it. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com.
I once had the impression that the street addresses of 1940 didnt line up with today's street addresses meaning that 19700 may have possibly been located a few blocks west of Corbin and were somehow relocated at some point later when all the development took place. But that assumption is incorrect and those addresses from the 1940's still match today. So when Desilu was built, it was truly at the corner of Devonshire and Corbin as it is today but with the only difference being that the property was spread over 5 acres so that the actual location of the home was set back several yards from the location of 19700 Devonshire St. Today, the location of the main home is roughly at 19718, 19710, and 19704 Tuba Street and 10218 Jumilla Avenue. Those homes have the distinction of claiming they are on the former site of the Desilu home but the same can be said for the rest of the nearby homes as being on the former site of the entire Desilu ranch.

While Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz owned the Desilu Ranch, Ball gave birth to their two children, Lucie (1951) and Desi, Jr (1953) before selling the property in 1956 to fellow actress Jane Withers who was best known as a child actress in the 1930's and 1940's. I believe Ball and Arnaz sold the ranch due to their exponential success with I Love Lucy as well as Desilu Studios which required more of their time and they couldnt make the trek back and forth from Hollywood so they moved into a Beverly Hills home. Keep in mind there was no 405 or 118 Freeway at the time, so the drive from Hollywood to Chatsworth must have been long and difficult.

Another interesting fact about the Desilu Ranch is that the nearby property which has been around since the Desilu Ranch days currently located at 19730 Tuba Street was never demolished and still exists today. I dont believe this home originally was part of the Desilu Ranch because based on the historical maps shown below, there was a clear separation between properties. Additionally, the inclusion of the 19730 Tuba home in the Desilu Ranch would exceed 4 or 5 acres that has been quoted as the total acreage of the ranch, as well as there was no guest house behind the pool. More on the 19730 Tuba home is discussed after reviewing the maps.

Now using the Delorean time machine to visit the years 1940ish, 1952, 1959, 1969, 1972, 1977, and 1980 (all shown below), we can see the Desilu Ranch and the nearby property as well as the evolution that took place over time to the present state where the 19730 Tuba home is still standing surrounded by tract homes all around which makes it truly stick out.

[Update June 25, 2014]: Dana Amann connected with me on Facebook and brought to my attention that the Desilu Ranch can be seen on an old filming archive of Devonshire Street in the early 40's available on youtube as well as an image of the home seen from the street from a Lucy book as shown below. It appears that this filming was shot either for scouting or to use as driving background images for a film but that's just all speculation. The Desilu Ranch can be seen at the 5:00 minute mark and the 19730 Tuba home can be seen at the 4:53 mark. This film is simply amazing as it 1) captured the Desilu Ranch and 2) is possibly the only  known source capturing Devonshire in the early 40's. I also posted image stills of the two homes just below the video. [End Update].



The Desilu Ranch with a one lane Corbin seen in the lower left which I dont know if Corbin even officially existed at the time. The ranch appears to be modest and looks relatively empty with no orange groves as seen in other pictures below suggesting that this image may have been from the early 40's shortly after construction. 
Another view of the Desilu Ranch just east of Corbin. 
The Desilu Ranch shortly after construction as seen from Devonshire from a Lucy book. Image courtesy Dana Amann Facebook
This is the best image I could capture of the 19730 Tuba home shown on the left with the driveway in the center-right.  As the camera continues eastward, the view of the home is blocked by the fence and trees but you can get a better view watching the video from above. 
[Update July 20, 2014]: Jack Kugell contacted me after reading this post and also discovered that the mailbox with its distinctive weather vane that Lucy is posing in front of (the image at the top of this post) can also be seen in the historic video. The images are blurry but the mailbox and weather vane can be seen.  




Mailbox on the right is Lucy's. 
House on the left with garage door open is Lucy's. 
[End update].
Historical image showing 1952 with only the Desilu Ranch on the right and the 19730 Tuba home on the left and endless rows of orange groves. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com.
Historical image showing 1959 with not too many changes since 1952. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com.
Historical image showing 1969 with development well underway and encroaching including the Chaminade middle school campus already built. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com.
Historical image showing 1972 with major development on its way into the mid-70's. The Desilu ranch loses most of its orange groves as well as most of the land north of Devonshire when compared to 1969. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com.
Historical image showing 1977 with all nearby land well under way into development including the demolition of the Desilu Ranch except for the 19730 Tuba Street home. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com.
Historical image showing 1980 with all nearby land fully developed. Image courtesty Historicaerials.com.
And here is one bonus photo from William Flower's Facebook page who lived directly south of the Desilu Ranch in 1962 giving a small glimpse of what the area looked like. The quote from Flower best describes the image:
Here's a photo of the Flower's back yard at 19805 Labrador in 1962. There's a lamp post on Lassen. The north side of Lassen is lined with an orange orchard. The snow-covered mountains show the darker Northridge Hill in relief. Devonshire is just this side of Northridge Hill. If these orange trees werent there, we would be looking straight at the former Desilu Ranch. 
Image courtesy William Flower's Facebook
Switching back to the 19730 Tuba home, another fact I uncovered which may not have any relevance to the Desilu Ranch but wanted to share it anyways was that the pool south of the home shown in the 1980 image above was demolished and subdivided with a new home built in 2002 located at 10225 Jumilla Avenue (shown below). The sales history here is interesting as it shows that William Slattery purchased this property for $475,000 from James J. Bizzelle on January 5, 1989 which I think the purchase price also includes the 19730 Tuba home. Afterwards, I believe Slattery lost the entire property to foreclosure with Martha & Frank Kertesz selling the property to current owner Silva Derderian on April 30, 1996 who built the brand new structure in 2002.
10225 Jumilla Avenue on former pool site of 19730 Tuba Street home. 
The 19730 Tuba home (shown below) was most recently listed for rent which is currently owned by Andre Ohanian who purchased on March 15, 1995 for $152,500 from EMC Mortgage Corp which acquired from William Slattery on July 14, 1993 for $278,786 which I think was a foreclosure from the 80's R.E. bubble.

19730 Tuba Street built in 1941
Today the property records show two different structures at 19730 Tuba Street with one home measuring 2,332 sqft built in 1941 and last altered in 1984. The second home measures 1,162 sqft built in 1945 and last altered in 1979. Overall the home measures 3 Beds/4 Baths on 3,494 sqft on a total lot size of 0.37 acres. Assuming this property was not altered significantly over the years, the images below from the most recent rental listing gives a good glimpse of what the main home of the Desilu ranch may have looked like.






Above images courtesy Zillow.com
1970s or 80's image of 19730 Tuba. Image courtesy lucyfan.com
I am not sure why the 19730 Tuba home survived the housing development that took place in the mid-70's which begs the question why did the Desilu Ranch get demolished if it was known as being the former home of Ball and Arnaz? So the only conclusions I can come up with, is that the home was in a horrible condition that it wasnt worth saving at the time of subdivision, there was significant damage from the 1971 Sylmar quake beyond repair, the developer didnt know its historical significance, or the Desilu Ranch was never a part of the 19730 Tuba home and the owner of the Desilu Ranch simply got bought out by the developers who didnt know or care about the significance of the Desilu home.

[Update June 25, 2014]: According to the commenter, 'tjw' at Lucylounge.com, the property at 19730 Tuba was owned by William Mellors "Bill" Henry who was writer for the LA Times and best known for his "By the Way" columns that appeared from 1939 to 1971. The developers purchased both the Desilu and Tuba homes at the same time but demolished the Desilu home because it didnt "fit" with the layout of the development meaning they could squeeze out more homes on the property while being compliant. On the other hand, the Tuba home didnt interfere with the development plans and was consequently kept. The odd thing here is that the developers actually tried to save the home compared to today's developers where everything is gutted out and built new. Just imagine if the Desilu was situated in the right spot, it would still be standing today. Ugh! [End Update].

[Update July 20, 2014]: Jack Kugell contacted me after reading this post and discovered that the Bill Henry home's original address was 19746 Devnoshire as shown in the letter below which was later changed to 19730 Tuba as a result of the subdivision. If you type in 19746 Devonshire in Google Maps today, you will be directed to about 19730 Tuba but on Devonshire.



Note the last paragraph with the reference to Lucy.  Above images provided by Jack Kugell.
[End Update].

Obviously,  the owner of the 19730 Tuba home didnt want their home demolished while new construction was taking place around it. So its possible that the owner owned all the surrounding land including the Desilu Ranch and simply wanted to cash in on the housing boom bonanza while keeping their main property. And if they owned the Desilu Ranch, like I had mentioned before, they didnt want to keep it because they simply didnt know its historical significance or the house was in bad shape

So moving onto the other reported locations for the Desilu Ranch which have sort of become folk tale now because no one knows for sure but they heard from "someone else" that claimed it was the Desilu Ranch. It's also possible that the homes mentioned below may have been owned by Ball and Arnaz as second homes for family or investment but there is no evidence that I can find confirming that.

10218 Oso Avenue
Starting with 10218 Oso Avenue (shown above) which the property records state was built in 1950 so that single handedly cannot be the Desilu Ranch if Ball and Arnaz purchased/built in 1941. Also, looking back at the 1952 historical map (shown below) shows a home with no pool, no long driveway, orange groves, guest house, or anything else that matched the description of the home from articles and even pictures. But lets say, Ball and Arnaz didnt fix up the home until their later years living there as they started making more money. So looking at the next available year in 1959 (shown below after 1952) shows that scenario happened exactly where the 1952 home looks completely upgraded including a pool by 1959. 

Now we know that Ball and Arnaz sold in 1956 so its possible that they upgraded this home with the publicly available pictures from their time at the home (see very bottom) possibly taken after they upgraded and just prior to selling in 1956. But there is just one problem, all of the pictures show a circular shaped pool with the guest house behind it and this home does not have either the circular shaped pool (rather a rectangular one) or a guest house behind it.  
1952 historical map shows 10218 Oso Avenue that cant be the Desilu Ranch. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
1959 historical map shows 10218 Oso Avenue which was upgraded since 1952  butcant be the Desilu Ranch. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
Probably one of the main reasons for the confusion of 10218 Oso Avenue being the Desilu Ranch is a February 22, 1998 LA Times article in the Hot Property section written by Ruth Ryon who was a notable celebrity real estate writer (and one of the few writers at the time writing about celeb R.E.) that stated this home belonged to Ball and Arnaz as shown in the image below. However, Ryon makes one mistake in mentioning that the home was built in 1950 which we know conflicts with other reports that the Desilu Ranch was built in 1941. So this could be a case where the owner and/or realtor were misled at some time by "someone else" that the home was the Desilu Ranch and spread this info to the LA Times in the hopes of gaining publicity. 
LA Times Hot Property article by Ruth Ryon published on February 22, 1998. 
The only significance of this home it that has remained mostly intact since the 1950s while housing development took place all around it in the 1960's. One other fact to consider is that the Oso location is about 3 blocks west of Corbin which doesnt align with the 19700 street address.


19927 Merridy Street
The second reported location is 19927 Merridy Street (shown above, Oakdale is the nearest intersection) which appears to be a possible location except there is one problem, no house existed in the 1952 historical map shown below. The next available map in 1959 (shown below after 1952) shows a home with a pool and guest house behind it that looks similar to the Desilu Ranch with property records showing the home built in 1955 so that doesnt match with the earlier known fact that Ball and Arnaz were living in the ranch since 1941 and sold one year later in 1956 after it was built. 


1952 historical map shows no property existed at  19927 Merridy Street. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
1959 historical map shows a built home with pool and guest house behind it similar to Desilu Ranch but this house was built in 1955 when the Desilu Ranch was built in 1941. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
The other conflicting info just like the Oso home is that this address is located about one block southwest of Corbin which wouldnt align with the 19700 street address. Even if Merridy and Oakdale didnt exist at the time and the nearest mailbox address was via Devonshire, this home would still be about one block west of Corbin which would be too far from 19700.   

And another fact similar to the Oso property is that the Merridy home was built in 1955 with no homes nearby. However, 13 years later the property was subdivided and homes nearby were built in 1968 while the main home and pool were not demolished. So the location is somewhat unique because it retains its originality despite subdivision but it cant be the home of Ball and Arnaz because it didnt exist before 1955. 


10556 Lubao Avenue
10548 Lubao Avenue
10534 Lubao Avenue
All three homes in a panoramic shot. 
Another location that was rumored was the current location of 10534,  10548, and 10556 Lubao Avenue which were built in 2000. Previous to the 2000 build date, there was a single home that spanned the length of these three homes combined while all the other homes surrounding it were subdivided in the late 60's with the main home spared similar to the Oso and Merridy properties. I am guessing that the main home was demolished due to damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The reason why I mention this is because I read/heard a rumor that the Desilu home was damaged in the 94 earthquake and subsequently had to be demolished. However, the conflicting evidence with this home is that its located on top of a hill while all the pictures show flat land, its located about one block northwest of Corbin which doesnt align with 19700, and there is no guest house behind the pool. The only thing going for this location is that the property existed in the 1952 historical map (shown below) and was large ranch home similar to Desilu. 


1952 historical map of 10534 Lubao Avenue. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
1959 historical map of 10534 Lubao Avenue not showing any changes. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
1969 historical map of 10534 Lubao Avenue showing development all around it except for the main home. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
2003 historical map of 10534 Lubao Avenue showing main home demolished with three new built homes. Image courtesy Historicalaerials.com
The final rumored location is the present address of 10732 and 10737 Limerick Avenue which existed in the 1952 historical map (shown below) and also contained a pool. This home surprisingly remained intact up unitl 2003 where it was demolished and built into a small gated community consisting of 4 homes in 2005. There are many reasons why this location cannot be the Desilu Ranch because the pool was rectangular with no guest home behind it, the distance from Corbin and Devonshire is so great that it doesnt align with 19700, and it was located on a hill instead of flat land.

1952 historical map showing a small ranch with pool. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com
The 1980 historical map show the property still existing with nearby homes already developed while others are yet to be constructed. Image courtesy Historicaerials.com 
By 2003, the property still remained but the main home appears to be gone with only the pool remaining. Image courtesy Google Earth. 
The site is fully developed with 4 homes. Image courtesy Bing Maps. 
So in conclusion, I determined that the Desilu Ranch was located at 19700 Devonshire Street based on the following:
  1. Various evidence from books, articles, and receipts show that Ball and Arnaz lived at 19700 Devonshire Street which is located at the corner of Corbin today which matches the 1952 historical map. With the Desilu Ranch being 5 acres, the actual home was located several yards south from Devonshire but the mailing address or the mailbox was probably located on Devonshire near Corbin as shown in the very first picture at the top. None of the other possible homes mentioned were close to 19700 Devonshire. 
  2. The ranch was built in the early 40's and consisted of a long driveway leading to the main home surrounded by orange groves which contained a pool and a guest house behind it over 5 acres. All of these features can be seen in the 1952 historical map with none of the other homes mentioned showing these same features. 
  3. The Desilu Ranch was unfortunately demolished in 1976 due to housing development as reported by lucyfan.com. Also, another thing to consider is that if the home were existing today, we would all know about it and there wouldnt be this much confusion as explained above. 
And now its time to fire up the Delorean and go back to the future to the present setting where the former Desilu Ranch no longer exists and has been completely replaced by tract homes built in the late 70's aside from the 1940's ranch home at 19730 Tuba Street which might have been what the Desilu Ranch looked like in its heydays. 


19718 Tuba Street. with street sign showing 19700 Tuba Street. 
 19710 Tuba Street (left home)
19704 Tuba Street (right home) 



This post is a continuation of the many celebrities that owned ranches during Hollywood's golden age like Liberace in Sherman Oaks, Edward Everett Horton in Encino, Josef Von Sternberg (and Ayn Rand) in Northridge, James Cagney in Granada Hills, Andy Devine in Van Nuys, Roy Rogers in Chatsworth, Louella Parsons in Northridge, Al Jolson and Don Ameche in Encino, Bing Crosby in Toluca Lake, Bob Hope in Toluca Lake, and many more yet to be blogged about on this site. 

You can view more SFV history and Back To The Future series here

Sources:

Wikipedia - Lucille Ball
Wikipedia - Desi Arnaz
Wikipedia - Jane Withers
Wonderland Tumblr Site
I Love Lucy Pinterest Site
Lucyfan.com
I love Lucy: An American Legend Exhibit at the Library of Congress
LA Times February 22, 1998 Hot Property Article by Ruth Ryon
Heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy Tumblr Site

Additional photos of the Desilu Ranch:

Image courtesy heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy.tumblr.com
Image courtesy heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy.tumblr.com
Image courtesy heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy.tumblr.com
Image courtesy heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy.tumblr.com
Image courtesy heckyeahlucilleballilovelucy.tumblr.com
Image courtesy substitutiary-locomotion.tumblr
Image courtesy Pinterest
Image courtesy Pinterest
Image courtesy Pinterest
Image courtesy Library of Congress
Image courtesy Library of Congress
The pictures below are from the lucylounge.com forum topic on "The Ranch." Thanks to all the posters for finding and posting the wonderful pictures of the ranch to give us an opportunity to experience life at the Desilu Ranch.